Military-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Intimate Relationship Behaviors: A Developing Dyadic Relationship Model

Twenty-three couples, in which one partner was a Veteran, were selected from a larger qualitative sample to better understand the impact of war zone deployment on intimate relationships. Results found that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by war-zone deployment experiences negatively impacted current or new relationships. Six relationship themes and three relationship qualities emerged from the qualitative interviews as areas where PTSD impacted couples greatly.